ryan

Origin:
Irish

Meaning:
Descendant of the King

Before there was Liam…before there was Aidan…before there was Deacon…there was Ryan. One of the original trendy Irish names, Ryan first became popular in the early ’70s thanks to Ryan O’Neal’s Love Story. The name, taken from the surname O’Rian and meaning “little king,” shot from an average of 224 in the ’60s to 24 in the ’70s. Ryan hit its peak of 11 in the late ’80s and early ’90s and has been between the top 10 and 20 since ’76, though it’s just starting to show signs of slipping.